How Much Time To Burn Off Calories Before They Get Stored As Fat?

An individual overindulging in food may wonder how much time it takes to burn off the extra calories before the excess gets stored as fat. Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to this question. Individual physiology varies, with enzymes and hormones working to breakdown and convert calories for immediate energy and storage reserves at different rates. Genetic differences and body types, as well as the age and fitness level of the individual are factors that play a role in how quickly calories are burned and how soon calories are stored as fat.

Calories

According to Martica Heaner, an MSN fitness and weight loss expert, the human body burns approximately 100 calories per hour while resting or sleeping. As the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics points out, any activity burns more calories than resting or sleeping. Regardless of whether or not you burn off calories from food immediately eaten, if you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. If you burn an amount of calories equal to what you consume, your weight should remain steady. Thus, logic dictates that if you consume more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. However, it is important that you always check with your physician before undertaking physical activities not a normal part of your routine and especially before beginning any exercise program.

Carbohydrate, Protein and Fat

Fewer calories consumed in the form of carbohydrates and proteins are converted into body fat than calories consumed as dietary fat. The reason being that more calories are burned during the conversion process when the calories originate in carbohydrate and protein form. According to the College of the Canyons Health Services, up to 95 percent of excess calories from dietary fat may be stored as body fat. Conversely, 75 to 85 percent of excess calories consumed as carbohydrate or protein may be converted to body fat for storage.

Body Characteristics

Carbohydrate becomes an immediate energy supply when metabolized into glucose. However, excess carbohydrate not immediately needed by the body for fuel will be converted into glycogen or fatty acids and eventually stored as body fat. How quickly calories are stored also varies with the individual body. In addition to different rates of metabolism, body size and fitness level play a role in how quickly calories can be burned. While engaged in the same activity, larger bodies burn more energy than smaller bodies, and bodies in better physical condition burn fewer calories doing the same activity than less conditioned bodies.

Individual Burn Rates

The College of the Canyons cites an eight-week study in which researchers provided a group of people with 1,000 extra calories daily. The amount of weight gained varied from 3 to 16 pounds. The study concluded that those bodies with the most weight gain were better at conserving extra calories for future use, not always a good thing for health when overindulging. The researchers assumed the individuals with the least weight gain simply moved more than those with higher gains, reinforcing the fact that time to burn calories varies considerably among individuals.